Multilane spreader



April 7, 1970 w. E. SHEA 3,504,452

9% fizz 5mm QMWWM April 7, 1970 w. E. SHEA 3,504,452

MULTILANE SPREADER Filed March 28, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllllllallllllllm FIG.2

United States Patent 3,504,452 MULTILANE SPREADER William E. Shea, Washington, N.J., assignor to Sheetmaster Corporation, Boca Raton, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Mar. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 716,836 Int. Cl. D06f 67/04 US. Cl. 38--1 43 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spreader for spreading non self-supporting textile articles such as towels and pillow cases in multiple lanes to an ironer or like apparatus. The spreader consists essentially of a series of short endless belts positioned with one end adapted to operatively engage an ironer positioned over an elongated vacuum source that extends below and longitudinally transverse of the belts. interposed between the vacuum source and belts is an elongated spreading lip formed with a scalloped lower edge with each scallop defining an individual lane. The individual lanes are further defined by weighted rollers positioned above and in gravity engagement with the belts and by dividing members.

Background of the invention Feeding small textile articles in a linen and laundry supply operation to an ironer is a time consuming operation which ordinarily requires employment of skilled operators who individually lay the small articles successively onto the ironer in adjacent lanes. Care must be taken by these operators not only to carefully spread these small articles so as to avoid wrinkles but also to place them in the feed end of the ironer in a precisely defined lane so that they will be properly delivered for subsequent folding and handling operations. Heretofore it has been common to feed these small articles directly onto the ironer feed belts. There have also been some efforts to use a separate spreading mechanism such for example as is illustrated in copending application 607,763 filed Jan. 6, 1967 for a fabric spreading and feeding machine invented by George E. Moore. The use of spreaders, such as those described in the cited application, are perhaps the best efforts to date in automating and accelerating the feeding to an ironer of small piece textile articles. However, these machines and hand operations which have been practiced heretofore are not altogether satisfactory. Hand operations are slow, often result in arm fatigue for the operators, result in unevenly fed and wrinkled small pieces and do not permit speeds that are often necessary or desirable. The machines which have been used heretofore are not completely satisfactory because they are primarily designed for handling large articles such as sheets. When such machines are used to feed small articles in multiple lanes many of the deficiencies encountered with hand operations result.

Summary of the invention It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved spreading mechanism for use in conjunction with the rapid and efiicient feeding of small textile articles in multiple lanes to ironers and the like. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a spreader of the type described which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, not likely to break down, which can be used with conventional vacuum and electrical sources and which eliminates the need for an operator to hold a small article once the lead edge has been placed on the spreader. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a small article spreader which may be used in conjunction with any conventional fiatwork ironer which assures proper feeding of multiple lanes of small articles to the ironer, which minimizes arm fatigue of operators, provides individual vacuum control for individual lanes and thereby assures a more efficient spreading of the articles. The present invention also provides a means in which operators can spread successive textile articles in multiple lanes with the edges of these articles butted for increased productive efficiency.

In the present invention there is provided a small piece or textile article spreading means which consists essentially of a plurality of endless belts having upper surfaces adapted to move the small textile articles in multiple lanes in a forward direction to the feed roll of an ironer. These belts are defined into a plurality of separate lanes by dividers with each lane having preferably a weighted roll above and in engagement with at least some of the belts of the lane. An elongated means for providing a vacuum is positioned immediately below and longitudinally of the rear ends of these belts. A lip with a downwardly inclined scalloped edge extends longitudinally of the rear ends of these belts with each scallop defining a separate lane and over which the textile articles may be draped by an operator so that the leading edge of the article initially engages the endless belts of a given lane and portions immediately trailing this leading article edge are drawn tightly over the scalloped edge of the lip by a vacuum source positioned below.

It is a feature of this invention that an operator may grasp the front two corners of a textile article and lay it onto the rear ends of the belts of a given lane. When the operator lets go the apparatus automatically and correctly draws the sheet onto the belts in a forward direction while at the same time spreading the sheet over the scalloped portion of the lip. The operator is then free to feed the next successive textile article onto the same lane in butted relation with the already fed textile article.

Brief description of the drawings These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spreader embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed cross section taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1 with portions of FIG. 2 shown in schematic outline.

Description of preferred embodiments The spreader generally shown in FIG. 1 is ordinarily used in conjunction with an ironer at the feed end of the ironer. In this arrangement the forward end 1 of the spreader is rolled up to and secured at the feed end of the ironer so that textile sheets being fed forwardly to the forward end 1 will move onto the conveyor belts of the ironer for subsequent ironing. In order to make sure of the proper positioning of the spreader illustrated in FIG. 1, at the end of an ironer the spreader is built on a frame having telescopic legs 2 and 3 for vertically adjusting the spreader so that the forward end 1 may be positioned to feed textile articles onto the belts. Preferably these telescopic legs 2 and 3 which may be locked at any suitable height by conventional means are mounted on a base 4 consisting of a series of parallel strut and cross members 5 and 6. The struts 5 are preferably provided with wheels 7 that may be locked by conventional means to prevent inadvertent movement once the spreader is properly positioned. Suitably supported on legs 2 and 3 are a pair of supports 8 which in turn support a vacuum box 9. The vacuum box 9, also illustrated in FIG. 2, consists of sidewalls 10 at either side which are interconnected by a series of walls including forward wall 11, rear wall 12, bottom 13 and upper wall 14. These walls may be suitably interconnected one to the other by angle members 15A suitably welded or otherwise secured to butting and adjacent wall members. This vacuum box 9 is divided into a series of side by side compartments which in the specific embodiment described as five in number, although a greater or fewer number may be used depending upon the specific number of lanes desired. The separate compartments of the vacuum box are de fined by dividers 15, 16, 17 and 18. These dividers have a periphery which extends from the forward wall 11 to the rear wall 12 and from the bottom 13 to the upper wall 14. The dividers may be suitably secured to these walls by welding or other suitable means. Continuous with the upper wall 14 which extends rearwardly from the forward wall 11 in arcuate cross section, as illustrated at 19, is a lip 20. This lip extends from its upper edge 21 angularly downwardly and rearwardly with the lower lip edge 22 formed with a scallop and in spaced relation to the upper edge 23 of the rear wall 12. The lower edge 22 of the lip 20 is scalloped or arcuately curved in five arcs of uniform size, dimension and position. Each of these arcuate or scalloped sections of the lip 20 has a length equal to and in alignment with one of the compartments into which the vacuum box 9 is divided. Each scallop extends from its outer end 25 (FIG. 1) coincident with the sides of the compartments and in which the lip is at a minimum point to a maximum point 26 which is coincident with the center of the particular compartment with which it is associated. The minimum and maximum depths of the scalloped portions may vary but preferably the greatest length of the lip should not project below the upper edge 23 of the rear wall 12 and preferably should extend downwardly to a point at which the angle formed by a horizontal plane extending through the upper edge 23 and a plane extending from the upper edge 23 through the lowest portion of the lip 22 is approximately 45, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The minimum height of the lip 20 may vary also depending upon the particular material with which the machine is to be used.

A suction or vacuum source is provided for the vacuum box 9. This source may comprise a motor and fan arrangement 30 which may be housed in a suitable housing supported on the cross brace 6 beneath the vacuum box. This housing within which the fan is contained is connected to each of the compartments individually by the connecting air tubes or hoses 31. The ends of these tubes 31 which open into the individual compartments inclusive may be individually opened or closed by any suitable valve arrangement. A suitable valve arrangement may comprise a butterfly valve 33 suitably pivoted by a hinge 34 at one end to open and close or partially open the end of the tube 31. This valve 33 may be controlled by a lever arm 35 projecting outwardly of the machine in a rearward direction with the other end connected to the pivot end of the valve 33. The valve may be secured in varied open positions by suitable means not shown or, alternately, by relying upon a frictional restraint in the hinge 34. The motor and fan arrangement contained within the housing 30 should be suflicient to effect a substantial suction through the vacuum box 9 so that air will be drawn through the opening 36 between the upper edge 23 and the scalloped lower edge 22 thereby drawing any textile article such as article 37 (FIG. 2) inwardly towards this opening and tightly over the lower scallop edge 22 and towards the upper edge 23.

Positioned above the vacuum box is a conveyor belt means generally indicated at 40. This means consists of a series of short parallel endless belts 41 which are mounted to rotation on a forward roll 42 and a rear roll 43. The rolls 42 and 43 may be journalled at their ends on the end frame plates 44 and 45 which in turn may be suitably secured to the support 8 by welding or other suitable means. The belts 41 have an upper surface 46 which is considerably shorter than the overall width of the machine. The rear roll 43 has a surface which arcuately conforms with the arcuate portion 19 of the wall 14. Further, the lip 20 extends substantially at a tangential angle from the roll 43 along a line preferably and approximately coinciding with the line defined by a horizontal plane passing through the axis of the roll 43. These belts are suitably driven by a motor 50 which is connected to the pulley drive 51 shown in dotted outline under the protective housing 52 through a conventional variable speed gear reducer 54. The shaft of drive roll 43 may be suitably connected to a sprocket (not shown) engaged by one end of the endless chain of the pulley 51.

Also supported on the frame of the machine is a cross brace 60 which extends from one side to the other of the frame above and spaced from the upper surfaces 46 of the endless conveyor belts 41. This cross brace 60 supports a series of weighted rolls 61 with the Weighted rolls each being supported in a bracket 62 consisting of an inverted U-shaped member with the rolls 61 having a shaft journaled in the depending legs of this bracket. An arm 63 extends symmetrically from the bracket 62 and is pivotally hinged at its other end 64 to the cross brace 60 so as to permit a pivoting movement of the roll 61 toward the upper surfaces 46 of the belts 41. The roll 61 is positioned preferably parallel to roll 43 with the axis of roll 61 coinciding in a normal position with a vertical plane passing through the axis of roll 43, thus the weight of roll 61, which may incidentally be made of hard rubber, normally presses down and will hold in gripped interengagement an textile article such as article 37 which may pass between the rolls 61 and upper surfaces 46 of the belts. In addition, individual conventional counters 67 may be provided over each of the lanes into which the spreader is divided.

Upwardly projecting dividers 70 are provided in alignment with the minimum depths of the scalloped edge 22. These dividers extend vertically and in a direction from the rear to the forward end of the machine and if desired may be extensions of partitions 15 to 18. The dividers 70 preferably project an inch to 3" above the belts and thereby effectively define one lane from the adjacent lanes. In the operation of this machine the endless belts are continuously moving with their upper surfaces in a forward direction. Further, if all five lanes are being used, the vacuum source 30 is maintained on with the valves opened to a suitable and controlled degree. Individual operators are provided for each of the lanes. These operators will pick up laundered but unironed textile articles such as napkins or other small pieces. They grasp two adjacent corners of the article and lay these corners in stretched position onto the belts 41 just rearward of the roll 61. The belts carry these articles forward and at the same time the trailing edge drapes over lip 20. The suction from the vacuum box 9 draws the trailing edge inwardly toward the opening 36 and over the arcuate or scalloped edge 22 thereby effecting a spreading action which effectively smooths out wrinkles on the sheet as it moves forwardly toward the iron. The operator is free to feed the next succeeding article in butting relation since the first article is immediately engaged and held by the roller on the belts.

What is claimed is: 1. A unitary spreader for small textile articles adapted to spread and remove wrinkles from said article comprisa conveyor belt means having a forwardly moving upper surface with a front to rear dimension shorter that its width, 7

a vacuum source extending widthwise of and secured below said conveyor belt means and presenting an elongated orifice through which air is adopted to be drawn immediately below and at the rear end of said upper surface, and

a lip having a surface means extending widthwise of and secured to said spreader at the rear end of said upper surface and substantially intermediate said upper surface and said vacuum source with said surface means of said lip extending angularly with respect to said upper surface.

2. A spreader as set forth in claim 1 wherein said lip has a lower scalloped edge providing a series of side by side downwardly extending arcuate segments defining a plurality of individual lanes.

3. A spreader as set forth in claim 2 wherein said vacuum source comprises a series of side by side compartments with a compartment for each lane and means for drawing air from each compartment.

4. A spreader as set forth in claim 3 including means for individually controlling said means for drawing air from each compartment whereby said vacuum source for each lane may be individually controlled.

5. A spreader as set forth in claim 4 wherein said conveyor belt means comprises a series of parallel conveyor belts,

a plurality of rolls positioned above said upper surface and means for pressing said rolls toward said upper surface.

6. A spreader as set forth in claim 5 wherein one roller is provided for each of said lanes, and divider means comprising plates extending upwardly between adjacent belts and defining one lane from an adjacent lane.

7. A spreader as set forth in claim 1 including at least one pressure roll positioned above said surface, and

means for pressing said roll toward said surface.

8. A spreader as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conveyor belt means comprises a plurality of endless belts mounted for movement of their upper surfaces in a forward direction with said belts mounted on parallel forward and rear rolls,

a pressure roll positioned above said upper surfaces and in substantial vertical alignment with said rear roll, and

means for pressing said pressure roll toward said rear roll.

9. A spreader as set forth in claim 8 wherein said spreader is divided into a plurality of parallel lane with said lip having a downwardly extending arcuate segment for each lane and said vacuum source has means for varying the vacuum applied to each lane.

10. A spreader for small textile articles adapted to spread and remove wrinkles from said articles comprising conveyor belt means having a forwardly moving upper surface with a length greater than its width, a lip extending widthwise of said spreader at the rear end and adjacent said upper surface with the edge of said lip projecting below said upper surface, said edge of said lip defining a series of side-by-side, downwardly curved, arcuate segments with each of said arcuate segments defining an individual lane.

11. A spreader as set forth in claim 10 including means for downwardly directing napkins and like textile article toward said arcuate segments whereby said arcuate segments spread said textile articles as said articles are drawn over said arcuate segments.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,103,755 9/1963 Hajos 38-143 3,315,385 4/1967 Taylor 38143 3,386,l92 6/1968 Fornaciari 38143 3,4l4,997 12/1968 Henry 38143 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner 

